The morbidity and mortality that are associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection have been overshadowed by the public health prominence of other infectious diseases, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, tuberculosis, and malaria. There is a dawning realization that the…

2. A systematic review: Performance of RDTs for the detection of Plasmodium knowlesi, Plasmodium malariae, and Plasmodium ovale mono-infections in human blood

AbstractDespite the increased use and worldwide distribution of malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) which distinguish between Plasmodium falciparum and non-falciparum species, little is known about their performance for detecting Plasmodium knowlesi (Pk), Plasmodium malariae (Pm), and Plasmodium ovale (Po). The objective of this review is to analyze results of published studies evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of malaria RDTs in detecting Pk, Pm and Po mono-infections.MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and CENTRAL databases were systematically searched to identify studies which reported on the performance of RDTs in detecting Pk, Pm,Po mono-infections.Among 40 studies included in the review, three reported on Pk, eight on Pm, five on Po, one on Pk and Pm, and 23 on Pm and Po infections. In the meta-analysis, estimates of sensitivities of RDTs in detecting Pk infections ranged from 2% to 48%. Test performances for Pm and Po infections were less accurate and highly heterogeneous, mainly due to the small number of samples tested.Limited data available suggest that malaria RDTs show suboptimal performance for detecting Pk, Pm,Po infections. New improved RDTs as well as appropriately designed, cross-sectional studies to demonstrate their usefulness in the detection of neglected Plasmodium species, are urgently needed.

3. Case Report: Delayed or Recurrent Plasmodium falciparum Malaria in Migrants: A Report of Three Cases with a Literature Review.

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene via MedWorm.com, 26.02.2018Tilføjet 02.03.2018 07:08

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

We report three cases of P. falciparum malaria occurring years after arrival in Europe. All patients were originally from Sub-Saharan Africa. Two subjects had controlled HIV infection and one was a pregnant woman. We performed a literature review of all published cases of delayed presentation of P. falciparum in migrants and identified 32 additional cases. All cases but one originate from sub-Saharan Africa. There was a median time of 36 months between the last visit to a malaria-endemic country and clinical malaria (range: 3 months to 10 years). Pregnancy was the most frequently reported risk factor (11/35 or 31.4%). Parasitemia was ≤ 0.1% in 38% of cases (11/29 reported), and no death was reported. The underlying possible mechanisms for this delayed presentation in migrants from an end...

5. Malaria in Southeastern China from 2012 to 2016: Analysis of Imported Cases.

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene via MedWorm.com, 26.02.2018Tilføjet 02.03.2018 07:08

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

Authors: Zhang X, Yao L, Sun J, Pan J, Chen H, Zhang L, Ruan W
Abstract
To study the epidemiological distribution and the incident trends of imported malaria from 2012 to 2016 in Zhejiang Province, southeastern China, we collected data on malaria from the Information System for Parasitic Disease Control and Prevention. A total of 1,003 malaria cases were reported during 2012-2016, and all of these cases were imported. Plasmodium falciparum was the predominant species (76.3%) in Zhejiang Province. The percentage of Plasmodium vivax decreased from 33.6% to 8.1%, whereas the percentage of Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium malariae increased. Most cases were male (89.8%), mostly in the age group of 21-50 years (82.6%). Businessmen (33.0%), workers (21.0%), farmers (18.8%), and overseas l...

Plasmodium vivax is the main cause of malarial disease in Asia and South America. Plasmodium vivax infection was thought to be absent in African populations who are Duffy blood group antigen negative (Duffy-negative). However, many cases of P. vivax infection have recently been observed in Duffy-negative Africans. This raises the question: were P. vivax infections in Duffy-negative populations previously missed or has P. vivax adapted to infect Duffy-negative populations? This review focuses on recent P.

7. Potential role for regulatory B cells as a major source of IL-10 in spleen from Plasmodium chabaudi-infected mice [PublishAheadOfPrint]

IL-10-producing regulatory B (Breg) cells were found to be induced in a variety of infectious diseases. However, its importance in the regulation of immune response to malaria is still unclear. Here, we investigated the dynamic, phenotype and function of Breg cells using the Plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi AS (P.c. chabaudi AS) infected C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice. BALB/c mice were more susceptible to infection and had a stronger IL-10 response in spleen compared with C57BL/6 mice. Analysis of the surface markers of IL-10-producing cells with flow cytometry showed that CD19+ B cells were one of the primary IL-10-producing populations in P.c. chabaudi AS infected C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice, especially in the later one. The Breg cells had heterogeneous phenotype which shifted during infection. The well-established Breg subset, CD19+CD5+CD1dhi cells, accounted for less than 20% of IL-10-producing B cells in both strains during the course of infection. Most Breg cells were IgG+ and CD138- from day 0 to day 8 post infection. Adoptive transfer of Breg cells to C57BL/6 mice infected with P.c. chabadui AS led to transient increase of parasitaemia without impact on survival rate. Our finding reveals that B cells play an active and important regulatory role in addition to mediating humoral immunity in immune response against malaria, which should be paid more attention in developing therapeutic or vaccine strategy against malaria involving stimulation of B cells.

8. Revamping Mosquito-borne Disease Control to Tackle Future Threats

Trends in Parasitology, 27.02.2018Tilføjet 28.02.2018 05:34

Jill N. Fernandes, Imelda K. Moise, Gina L. Maranto, John C. Beier

The global approach to mosquito-borne diseases (MBDs) is in need of critical re-evaluation. Although there have been dramatic reductions in malaria incidence since 2000, malaria elimination from high-transmission settings remains problematic. At the same time, arbovirus outbreaks have increased in their frequency and impact. The 2015–2016 Zika virus epidemic exposed the dire state of MBD control in many countries, calling for united global action. Despite international resolve to prevent future epidemics, current practices in MBD control are mostly reactive and of limited efficacy.